DECEMBER life with a babe

[JenMidwife]

Wow, can you believe it's already December?! Erin's 3 1/2 months old occasionally I think we're starting to fall in to a routine, but usually we just go with the flow... though less than there used to be, there's still an awful lot of crying.

She has such a hard time getting to sleep & then staying asleep... some days she yawns, rubs her eyes & cries from about 1pm until she finally crashes at night. We've tried everything except CIO to get her to nap... she's CLEARLY tired. Maybe we should try CIO?

[blairinargentina]

here's my latest trick for the very same problem... i get isa mellowed out by rocking her. then put her in the bouncy all swaddled up, then put a dark blanket over the top (so it rests on the back of the chair and the toy rack thing). so she's all cacooned in there and its dark, warm, and womb like. maybe its a fluke but she has taken a 2.5-3 hr EVERY day since starting this (for over a week now). and she NEVER slept for more then 30 minutes before. maybe it will work, maybe not, but it sure beats CIO! (for me atleast )

[mamamilkers]

Well, it's also sort of the nature of babes at this age. I'm not at all a supporter of CIO, but this is still WAY too early even if you should choose to do it (but please don't ).

Eloise is doing 30 minute nap stretches lately, as well. It's so annoying. And she's super crabby when she's awake, too. Ugh! This has been a rough week. We had "snow" most of the week so we haven't been getting out of the house and then with Eloise crabby, it has been majorly sucking. I think she's also sick, again, and has been coughing three weeks straight now with no sign of slowing down. Every time I call the ped they just say the same thing, that she just has a cold!

What else . . . hmmm. I think that pretty much sums it up right now!

[2 in August]

We had our first real snowstorm today! Now it feels like winter and ack Christmas, lol. Ian is 17wks old today and finally 10lbs (as of Weds). Can't believe how fast the last 4mo have gone by. It seems much quicker now with 2 kids.

I second packing babies in somewhere. Right now Ian is in his swing, wrapped tight in a blanket, a thin receiving blanket on one side as a bolster, a Carter's double sided blanket smooshed up along the other side of him, and another Carter's blanket smooshed up across his lap. Even in his amby, I've got a sleep positioner in there to hold his hips in place, I swaddle him and then lay a flaxseed pillow (tubular shaped) across his upper thighs and waist. If I don't do either of these things he will only sleep while being held.

Have you read/watched The Happiest Baby on the Block? I got the video from the library and it was amazing!

[amybw]

Happy December!
I ususally just read the posts, but thought i'd chime in this time!

I am glad to hear we arent the only ones with sleep issues. Although I am sorry for all of you.

Nathan is in the dont put me down club too. BUT only if i take him upstairs to his bassinet. He will sleep in the swing, a bouncy seat, on the couch, on me moving around and doing stuff, etc, but not in his bassinet unless he is REALLY sound asleep before i put him down.

I am wondering if it is too quiet upstairs. I play a CD of rain to make some white noise, but.. who knows!

He is also drooling and chewing like crazy. Sometimes I am afraid he is starving! It is so hard for me to tell if he is hungry or just needs to suck or chew. My first was bottle fed (on demand for the most part, but still differnt than BFing) so i am so new to this on demand bfing thing. I swear sometimes that is all we do in a day. But i keep thinking that someday he wont need it anymore and i will miss it/him.

Oh and he also sucks his arm!!! He gave himself the biggest hickey last week! He sleeps in the bassinet right beside me, but he is such a quiet baby. He wakes up and sucks his arm, fingers, his thumb all the way to his hand, etc... before crying. I usually wake up to his slurping noises but not always I am glad he doesnt have to cry a lot, but i feel bad i dont always hear him.

I started back doing my candle party business but with bfing we (dh and I) have decided i should cut back and only do afternoon parties. Nathan wont go to sleep for dh. Which makes me happy and sad at the same time.

Well, i think i am gonna try to finish up some things before Nathan wakes up again!

later gals!

Amy

[SummerTwilight]

Aria (as you know) is queen of crappy sleepers. But the past week I have been making a concerted effort to get her to sleep in her crib just during the day. Because since she always wants to sleep on me she is always waking up soon cause I can't just sit still on the couch all day so I am doing other things and carrying her around with me.
While I would never recommend anyone else do this, I put Aria down on her belly in the crib with her nuk cause that is how she likes to sleep on me. And I put a heavy quilt over her butt (just up to her waist, not near her hands) so it feels like my hand is resting on her from the weight. And she will sleep closer to an hour - 1.5 in her crib. I wouldn't let her sleep like this at night but during the day I can go in frequently and check her and if she sleeps well during her day naps she is more apt to sleep well at night.
Hang in there Jen. Soon we will have kiddos sleeping through the night without us and it will be a little sad although we may be too exhausted to feel it.

[mrs rockstar]

I've got a crappy napper too...little miss no nap usually doesn't sleep longer than 20 minutes unless I'm holding her which is impossible since I'm home alone with her and her 2 year old big sister all day. If all I did was sit, nothing would happen around the house :

But! She laughs now, big snorting laughs which are a pleasure to hear. She's starting to show a little interest in toys and loves hanging out in her bumbo seat watching her big sister or sitting on the table while we're all eating dinner.

It's funny because she weighs the same (13 pounds) and is the same length (24 inches) as her big sister was at 3 months but she's long and lean where her sister was just this round pudge. Their body types are so different!! DD1 was in medium diapers at this point where Charlie is on the tightest snap setting in smalls still.

She's nursing well and loves to suck her thumb.

For those celebrating Christmas, what are you getting your babies? I'd like to have a little something under the tree for Charlie but she doesn't NEED anything as we still have all of her big sister's toys in good condition. I was thinking a few wooden rattles and maybe a soft doll?

Charlie girl at 3 months and a few days, from our holiday card pictures.

[ColoradoMama]

I'm going to get Louis one of those thing you hang in the doorway that they can bounce in. Olivia LOVED hers. She used to bounce and giggle. It was so cute.

Louis is an awesome sleeper.: So I am loving it. I was about to kill the dog last night though - or should I say early morning. I had to get up early last week because I had to take Elizabeth to school (she usually carpools, but they were in New Zealand!), so I was really looking forward to sleeping in today. The stupid dog wouldn't shut up, and he kept waking Louis up, so I kept nursing him back to sleep - that part was okay, but I kept getting so irritated with the dog that I woke up!:

Louis blew a raspberry yesterday - by accident I think. It was so cute - he couldn't figure out how he did it. He keeps trying to do it again, but he hasn't got it yet!

[lenore80]

Originally Posted by 2 in August

Have you read/watched The Happiest Baby on the Block? I got the video from the library and it was amazing!

I have the book, and it really didnt do much for us except learning how to swaddle.

DD colic went away on its own at three months or so. I started using an exercise ball and a moby wrap (couldn't babywear her the first few months because of csection).

DD is teething, we think. She can get quite cranky, and has this whine that drives DH and I . I don't schedule her at all. She is turning into quite the little bed hog at night! I am now cozing up to the cosleeper.

But most of the time she so happy. After the months of colic, its so much easier now.

[lenore80]

Originally Posted by jesamin

For those celebrating Christmas, what are you getting your babies?[/URL]

Books, shape sorter, stacking rings. Probably an exersaucer (used) since I need a baby container at times. DD is bored with the bouncy chair.

[mamamilkers]

We got Eloise a growth chart, a wooden rattle and some plastic blocks. I think I might get her some clothes, as well, even though she doesn't need them. I LOVE buying clothes for the girls but try sooooo hard not to because they have way more than enough from hand-me-downs. It's just killing me that I have no need to buy her clothes! Her big sister is getting quite a bit more than she is, but this year, she won't know the difference.

Here is the link to my blog entry with their Christmas picture

[taradt]

Originally Posted by jesamin

Charlie girl at 3 months and a few days, from our holiday card pictures.

Originally Posted by mamamilkers

Here is the link to my blog entry with their Christmas picture

We sure have cute babies in this DDC thanks for sharing

tara

[taradt]

Originally Posted by jesamin

For those celebrating Christmas, what are you getting your babies? I'd like to have a little something under the tree for Charlie but she doesn't NEED anything as we still have all of her big sister's toys in good condition. I was thinking a few wooden rattles and maybe a soft doll?

Kienan is getting a wooden rattle, a wooden rolling toy and some books

tara

[mrs rockstar]

Originally Posted by taradt

We sure have cute babies in this DDC thanks for sharing

tara

I agree!!!

Originally Posted by taradt

Kienan is getting a wooden rattle, a wooden rolling toy and some books

tara

Yeah, I think I'm going the wooden rattle route and a soft Kathy Krause doll. If I can get it together in time I'm going to knit her a few pairs of longies...not that she cares but I do!!

[Meeshi Mama]

Luna is still sleeping in pretty good stretches during the night because she loves sleeping in her carseat and we have a small fan next to it for white noise. Though she is starting to tolerate laying down flat, so she will sleep next to me for a few hours in the morning.

Luna is really vocal lately and cracking us all up with her squeals, coos and noises. She is also sitting up alone for short intervals and loves grabbing and chewing on toys. In a few weeks, I'll be trying to see if she will ride in the seat of the grocery cart but for now she loves to ride in the sling when we go shopping.

I am more in love with this sweetie every day!!

[JenMidwife]

nak

thanks all for your advice, commiseration & encouragement. we have seen & read happiest baby on the block... it worked well for soothing, but not enough to get her to sleep. we do still use a Swaddle Me, which we all love.

gotta run, more later...

[LillyGrace'sMommy]

what's sleep??? Micah does NOT like sleeping, except for the occasional cat nap! He loves talking to me in bed while I'm trying to go to sleep though!

[peilover010202]

E just had his 4mo check and weighs in at 16lbs 11oz! It amazes me how much bigger he is than ds1 at the same age. E has started laughing, esp for ds1 and it's just so sweet how ds1 has bonded with E. Calls him "sweet baby" "sweet pea" :

E doesn't nap well for us, either. But, thankfully, when he is really tired, all it takes is a quiet room and a good nursing to get him down. We still put him in his carseat to sleep for naps and for his first stretch at night, then he comes to bed with me (while ds1 co-sleeps with dh).

To Jen and everyone else with babes who don't want to sleep, I wish I could do something to help! We paid our dues with ds1, so I can definitely commiserate! I remember CRAVING sleep.

[magpiedee]

Baby Cleo is thriving and fascinating! It's so cool how she concentrates on talking for a few days, then switches to grabbing for a few days, then goes on to practice some other future skill. She's out of all her 0-3 clothes, and I miss them, because they were all pink! Turns out all the 3-6 clothes are yellow and green, and she looks better in pink than gender neutral. Hindsight! Her cradle cap is still around and bothering me, but otherwise we're great.

Daytime naps are 15 minutes, tops, but she sleeps from 9:30pm - 10am with just a couple of sweet milk breaks. I never knew how much I would adore co-sleeping! There's just nothing as wonderful as waking up to that sweet, warm little bundle with her patty little hands and grunts of nursing bliss.

I'm also working on sewing pouches and babywearing accessories from home, and i've got a lot to learn about websites and business. But i've got a great new sewing maching and a gimmick I haven't seen anywhere else, so I hope it will work out!

[veganf]

Just got back from Paris last night. Nate was a great traveller. However he does NOT like museums, nor fancy Mandarin Chinese restaurants . I kept him on his old schedule, which is easy in europe. We slept in until after noon every day and went to bed around midnight, it was perfect!

He even fell asleep for a few naps in the hotel crib the same way he does at home (NOTHING calms him unless I just set him down in the crib and he stretched right out and falls asleep). All of my guys have HATED HATED HATED being swaddled or confined in any way. They love movement though, and music. Naps are usually 40 minutes, 3 times per day.

Nate is teething and drooling like crazy right now. His top teeth had better get through soon! He's in 6-12 month clothing, some 12 month tops.

Nate is getting a new outfit and a toy for gifts. The relatives will probably get him some other stuff.